MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



11 





with which the lands were once covered where 

 there were no trees. 



On every stream in Arizona can be seen the 

 evidences of this destruction. The San Pedro 

 has torn away its banks until it now flows in 

 a channel that in places appears to be more 

 than a mile wide, where in the old days, when 

 the Tombstone mines were first discovered and 

 actively worked, about twenty-five years ago, 

 it (lowed between grass covered banks, in a 

 shallow channel so narrow that you could 

 throw a stone across it almost anywhere. 



And now we believe that Arizona is to be 

 permanently safeguarded against the inroads 

 of the desert, by building the gigantic reser- 

 voirs that are being constructed under the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Act by the United States Re- 

 clamation Service, and by building either reser- 

 voirs which the people of that beautiful country 

 hope to see built in the future. 



As well might we expect to navigate the 

 in ships without bottoms as ti> perpetuate 

 the industries of Arizona by building reser- 

 voirs unless ,at the same. time, the mountain 

 sides nver the entire water-sheds and above the 

 reservoirs are restored to their original natural 

 condition and densely covered Vith trees and 

 undergrowth, and with the grass mat as well 

 which Nature contemplated, to prevent the 

 water that falls in a deluge in that region dur- 

 ing heavy rain storms from plunging into the 

 re-ervoir, carrying with it a heavy burden of 

 silt from the mountain side. 



There is the danger that confronts Arizona 

 today. The merchants and manufacturers of 

 the nation may say it is not their problem. 

 They may think they can get along without 

 the trade of Arizona. No doubt they can. No 

 doubt Arizona, with all her splendid and stu- 

 pendous possibilities of future development, 

 with her rich and fertile valleys, teeming now 

 with a happy and prosperous people, who are 

 but a hand-full compared with the millions for 

 whom ample room exists if the resources of 

 Arizona are rightly husbanded and preserved 

 by the nation, could be blotted out of exist- 

 ence, and the commercial and manufacturing 

 interests of the country could still get along 

 and do business without her. 



But mark this the same identical policy of 

 indifference and neglect, if pursued to its in- 

 evitable end, will destroy and depopulate not 

 only Arizona, but the whole southwest, includ- 

 ing all of Southern California, with its beauti- 

 ful homes and orange groves and ideal envir- 

 onment for human life, and its tremendous 

 yearly output of wealth from the land which 

 is annually turned into the currents of com- 

 merce of the country. That same policy of in- 

 difference and neglect will in the long run de- 

 stroy not only Arizona but it will destroy 

 every irrigated community in the west, de- 

 pending upon a water supply flowing from 

 streams rising in mountains where the forests 

 are not preserved by the strong hand of the 

 nation from the wasteful destruction of the 

 western speculator, who regards the country 

 as nothing more than a source of present 

 wealth and luxury for him, and deals with it 

 on the principle of "After us the deluge. "- 

 Geo. H. Maxwell, in American Industries. 





FORESTRY AS A PROFESSION. 



The growing interest taken by the general 

 government, by the different states, the rail- 

 roads and by private individuals in forestry has 

 developed a new profession with new opportu- 

 nities for young men. It is that of forestry 

 culture. Ten years ago the schools and col- 

 leges gave no attention to this branch of study. 

 Today Yale, Harvard, Michigan, Baltimore, 

 Nebraska and Iowa universities have chairs of 

 forestry and offer technical instructions and 

 training to students. At the close of this year's 

 college year 35 of the graduates of these 

 schools were taken into the government for- 

 estry service and the demand is for more. The 

 profession of forestry, though comparatively 

 new, is one that is very promising in oppor- 

 tunities for young men willing to work hard. 

 Something more is needed than knowledge of 



A Pine Grove at the Jamestown Exposition. 



trees. Practical experience in the woods, in 

 logging and in sawmill operations is needed, 

 and the competent forester will also know the 

 value of timber and the uses to which it can 

 be put. The profession will be of growing 

 importance as the problem of timber supply 

 becomes more pressing. Grand Rapids Her- 

 ald. 



WRONG PRUNING. 



Editor Roads and Forests: 



Dear Sir It is impossible for one who no- 

 tices trees to fail to see the results of wrong 

 pruning, painfully and frequently apparent in 

 many of our towns and villages. By wrong 

 pruning I mean pruning wrongly done at the 

 time of transplanting a sapling to its perma- 

 nent position. The entire head of a tree is of- 

 ten, at this time, cut out, in order, first, that the 

 roots may also be cut close to the trunk, and 

 also in order that branches may spring in num- 

 bers and in radiating fashion from below the 

 cut made by topping. 



Many a maple and elm along our streets, in- 

 stead of wearing its own pyramidal or tapering 

 habit, has become a totally uninteresting, round 

 mass of foliage, and long lines of such trees 

 give a characterless appearance to the walks 

 and streets of a community. 



Allow me to quote what Mr. O. C. Simonds, 

 the well-known landscape gardener of Chicago, 

 has to say on this subject: "A tree should be 

 cut back somewhat when it is planted, so that 

 the top will correspond with the roots, but this 

 trimming should be confined to the small twigs, 



theoretically to a portion of the last year's 

 growth. It is wrong to cut large limbs, that is, 

 limbs an inch or more in diameter, for the fol- 

 lowing reasons: 



"1. Such treatment greatly disfigures the 

 tree, this disfigurement lasting clear through 

 the entire life of the tree. 



''2. Cutting large limbs usually allows decay 

 to commence where the cut has been made. In 

 maples especially this decay continues down- 

 ward towards the center of the tree, weakening 

 the top and allowing it to be broken by strong 

 winds. 



"Examples of the deformity and weakness 

 caused by topping trees or by cutting off large 

 branches can be found in almost every city. 

 Where a large limb is broken by the wind or 

 for any other reason its removal becomes 

 necessary, it should be cut off close to the 

 trunk or from the larger limb from which it 

 springs. Stubs sticking out from trees are al- 

 ways unsightly and where possible should be 

 avoided." 



If other readers of your paper would express 

 their opinion on this matter. in your columns, it 

 would be exceedingly interesting to hear from 

 them. It is certainly a matter to be taken up 

 by all those who wish to see tree planting done 

 intelligently and with regard to the most beau- 

 tiful results. 



Very truly yours, 



LOUISA YEOMANS KING. 

 Alma, Mich., July 27. 



